What's wrong with Texas?

[BlueK]

If the DOJ wanted to bring a civil suit against the school district through OCR for systematic failures to protect special ed kids, I'd say go for it. That's what OCR is for, not for trying to hunt down trans kids or push anti-DEI bullshit. But criminal wire fraud? Really?

Yes, that is the kind of thing they're going to be doing here. I'm not a lawyer but the wire fraud was just for that one teacher and administrator over the guy changing his name to help him break a law, I think. But I could be wrong. Like I said, I'm not a lawyer. I would have been fine with just the state having the news conference to announce the same initiative. I guess you just have to live here in the middle of this crap to fully appreciate it.

with the caveat I used AI to look up what defines wire fraud:

• A deliberate plan or scheme to cheat someone out of money or property.

well yes, changing a last name to hide that under the law he wasn't eligible for that employment would seem to be a scheme to defraud the state of salary money.

• Intent by the person committing the fraud to deceive.

yes

• Use of interstate or international electronic communications (wires) to help carry out the scheme.

if they discussed the scheme by phone or email?

• The communication included false statements or material deceptions.

yes, telling the licensing board he was eligible when he knew he was not.

[Green Monstah]

That is wild. Wow.

You should see the pictures. Skin wasn’t broken but it was close.

[LVAllen]

Yes, that is the kind of thing they're going to be doing here. I'm not a lawyer but the wire fraud was just for that one teacher and administrator over the guy changing his name to help him break a law, I think. But I could be wrong. Like I said, I'm not a lawyer. I would have been fine with just the state having the news conference to announce the same initiative. I guess you just have to live here in the middle of this crap to fully appreciate it.

with the caveat I used AI to look up what defines wire fraud:

• A deliberate plan or scheme to cheat someone out of money or property.

well yes, changing a last name to hide that under the law he wasn't eligible for that employment would seem to be a scheme to defraud the state of salary money.

• Intent by the person committing the fraud to deceive.

yes

• Use of interstate or international electronic communications (wires) to help carry out the scheme.

if they discussed the scheme by phone or email?

• The communication included false statements or material deceptions.

yes, telling the licensing board he was eligible when he knew he was not.

Why wouldn't he be eligible for employment? Because of allegations that were reported, went to trial, and did not result in a conviction?

[BlueK]

Why wouldn't he be eligible for employment? Because of allegations that were reported, went to trial, and did not result in a conviction?

The accounts differ a bit:

From WFAA:
Federal prosecutors allege that former principal Wendy Bailey and former teacher Michael Roell aka Johnathan Michael falsified hiring documents and concealed repeated allegations of abuse.

“Both individuals, as alleged in the complaint, falsified hiring documents and concealed repeated allegations of abuse. These are not allegations of negligence. They are allegations of deception,” Raybould said.
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/ed...2-c57afb7e32cd

From the DOJ:
On the criminal side, former Principal Wendy Bailey and teacher Michael Roell, also known as Johnathan Michael, have been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both allegedly played a role in concealing Roell’s prior arrest, facilitating his legal name change to evade background checks, and falsifying hiring documents—conduct that allowed him to obtain a special education teaching position despite repeated misconduct concerns.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/project-safe-schools-initiative-debuts-us-attorney-moves-against-forney-isd-and-former

KERA:
Officials also announced a $14,000 civil lawsuit settlement with Forney ISD, and two wire fraud charges against a teacher and principal in the district. The lawsuit and new charges stem from a state-level case that alleges Crosby Elementary School principal Wendy Bailey helped a teacher with prior child abuse charges get hired.

Michael Roell was arrested in 2016 for indecency with a minor involving a special needs child, but he was acquitted of the charge. He applied for a position in Crosby last year to teach special needs children, but was allegedly told by Bailey he needed to get a legal name change if he wanted to get hired.

Roell, who had changed his name to Jonathan Michael, was charged with two counts of injury to a child and one count of child grooming in May. Prosecutors allege the abuse happened to a child with special needs at Crosby.

https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-08-18/north-texas-school-child-abuse-project-safe-schools-cover-up

I don't know what the exact rules are based on, but the principal that helped him seemed to believe she couldn't hire him unless he did a background check under the false name. Does the arrest still show up on the background check despite the acquittal? Also some of these seem to allude to multiple allegations and not only the one he was acquitted on. The principal apparently didn't think the rules allowed her to hire him.so what they did to get around it was still an intent to deceive. As it turned out he got hired and was charged with additional offenses last May.